A weekend away in Malta
Lois, one of our team members, was recently lucky enough to experience the magnificent Malta, staying at the stunning 5* Westin Dragonara Resort in St Julians, hosted by Alpine Sterling and DMC Advantage with flights sponsored by the wonderful All About Flights. Here’s a bit of insight into her experience at the beautiful Malta:
“Arriving at Malta International Airport in the rare torrential rain, we were quickly greeted by our Maltese hosts who were luckily equipped with massive golf brollies to prevent us spending the rest of the day looking like drowned rats! After introductions, we headed out of the rain and onto our first mode of transport and onto the first surprise activity of the weekend.
After a short journey, we arrived at Rolling Geeks Three Cities for our first activity, which allowed us to drive electric cars around the famous 3 cities of Malta; Birgu, Senglea and Cospicua. The cars are complete with a pre-programmed GPS with multiple different languages that take you on the perfect guided tour, giving you the benefit of an organised excursion with the freedom of being in your own quirky electric car. This activity is perfect for team building exactly as it is or they can work with you to create a bespoke activity such as a treasure hunt or culinary tour, stopping at different restaurants along the route - YUM!
With the weather putting a dampener on the original plans to take a boat to our hotel, we were instead treated to a transfer on one of the island’s seven restored Maltese vintage buses, where we checked into our stunning Luxury Bay Suites to get ready for our dinner.
Our dinner destination Taro restaurant at The Villa, offers a stunning grand entrance and the warm ambience meant we knew we were in for a good night. The a la carte menu changes daily to incorporate the freshest ingredients the Mediterranean can offer and it certainly didn't disappoint. With an award-winning kitchen team, the food and attention to detail were totally incredible! After dinner, we headed outside to Nori at The Villa for some bespoke cocktails from their extensive menu. Of course, we had to try more than one…
With a few sore heads in the morning, we headed off for our site visits, happily discovering that nothing in Malta is further than a 30-minute bus journey! First on our list was Café Del Mar Malta which lives up to its well renowned reputation. The venue opened its doors in 2013 and is located right on the waterfront with a stunning infinity pool and an uninterrupted panoramic view of the sea. You can hire out the venue exclusively so the opportunities are endless!
Next stop was the 18th Century Palazzo Parisio, where we first explored the stunning Italian-styled walled gardens, complete with a pond with turtles (how cute!) before moving on to a tour of the house, which was packed with history. The Grand Staircase located within the house is a story in itself; each step is made out of a solid piece of marble, with the pièce de resistance being the long solid marble bannister. It took three attempts to successfully transfer the marble in one piece to the island with the first attempt seeing the marble getting lost at sea, the second time the marble was damaged when it was being transported from the ship to the mainland…third time lucky!
Once you have ascended the staircase there are multiple rooms available, which can be hired privately, including the stunning Ballroom, designed by the Italian architect Carlo Sada, which features endless figurines and mirrors to enhance every beautiful detail in the room.
Heading towards Mdina The Xara Lodge was the last stop of the morning. The venue itself is in the open countryside and benefits from breathtaking views. Purpose-built, it really is a multi-functional venue which lends itself to any kind of event; be it a relaxed summer BBQ around the pool, a small executive meeting or a large Gala dinner for 400.
As you can imagine, by this point we were all ravenous, so we set off to the Bacchus Mdina restaurant in the stunning medieval town of Mdina for lunch. It is set within the fortifications of Mdina consisting of chambers dating back to Roman times, so you feel as though you could easily be in a scene from Game of Thrones as you dine and drink like Kings and Queens! However, if you walk to the back of the restaurant and upstairs you will find the banqueting room, which can comfortably seat 450 guests on round tables.
After lunch, we took a walk around Mdina and saw that with its beautiful architecture, narrow streets and beautiful views over the Island it really is a truly magical place to be. As we walked out of the walled city, a fleet of vintage cars dating from the 1930s to the 1970s came into view; our transfer to our afternoon activity. We travelled from here to the harbour to jump on a boat to the crystal-clear waters of the Blue Lagoon, a must-see spot when visiting Malta.
Back at the hotel, we were given a full tour to view their facilities and recently refurbished event space. With seventeen flexible meeting rooms, ranging from small boardrooms up to large meeting space with capacities of up to one thousand, the hotel caters perfectly for a large variety of events.
We then went on to experience one of the hotel’s five restaurants; Quadro. We ate family style here, so we could try everything and challenge accepted, I think we managed it! After dinner we walked into the town for cocktails and to dance the night away at Hugo’s Terrace.
After a lazy breakfast, we packed up our cases and headed to Valletta for our final day, to see three very unique venues, perfect for meetings and dinners. The Saluting Battery which still fires the cannons every day, the Casino Maltese and The Old Knights Hospital which can offer a medieval banquet for up to 1000 people! These venues certainly all offer a totally alternative option for a memorable event, all with an individual history and “wow” factor.
As we left the last venue we were met by waiting Tuk Tuks ready to take us to our surprise lunch. These are a new concept for the Island and have taken it by storm! Holding six people per tuk-tuk they are an amazing option for group tours as an alternative sightseeing experience.
We arrived at the stunning Villa Bologna, the last surprise of our trip, where we were met in the beautiful Mediterranean garden with bubbles and canapes. The original house dates back to 1745 when it was built by Fabrizio Grech. Staying within the same family through the generations, the house has thrived and the beautiful gardens have been added to with features such as the sunken pond and the new Orange groves – all beautiful spots for a truly special event. We headed inside to their marquee and where we were treated to what can only be described as a feast, the food just kept coming! My personal favourites were the salt cod fritters and the seared beef fillet but everything was simply delicious!
Sadly once we had finished lunch it was time to thank our wonderful hosts and regrettably head towards the airport. I think it was clear to see each of us had fallen in love with Malta and didn't want to leave!
Thank you again to our wonderful hosts for such a magical trip, it really did live up to “expect the unexpected”!”
Planning an event abroad
Whether you’re looking at booking an incentive trip for your team, hosting an international conference or gala event, Malta is an amazing location for it with a variety of potential venues to suit any requirements. But it’s one between many different options. We can help you choose the most appropriate location, plan your event from top to bottom and manage it on-site to give you that extra bit of help on the day. Just get in touch with us to learn more on how we can help you!